Spaghetti Squash

Description

The cylindrical fruit are 4 to 5 inches in diameter and 8 to 9 inches long with rounded ends. The rind is hard and ivory colored at maturity. The stringy flesh resembles spaghetti, when scooped out of a cooked fruit, and has a nutty flavor.

Culture

The spaghetti squash is in the cucurbit family. It requires fertile, well-drained warm soil. Cultural requirements are basically the same as for all vine crops. Plant two seeds in groups about 4 feet apart in rows about 8 feet apart or in groups of threes on 8-foot by 8-foot hills. Fruit mature on vigorous vines about 90 days after seedling.

Selection

Purchase fruit with a hard rind, free of bruises and heavy for their size. Mature fruit are uniformly ivory-yellow and weigh 2 to 3 pounds. Cure freshly harvested mature fruit at 80° to 86°F and 80 percent relative humidity for 10 days. Store cured spaghetti squash at 50° to 60°F and a humidity of near 60 percent. If the stem is loosely attached when fruit is purchased, remove it to allow the injured area to heal.